Recent Entries

Two weeks late: I AM SO DELIGHTED by my rarelywritten assignment! YES. Just like last time, it wasn't necessarily the fandom I was expecting to match on, but OMG YAY YES THIS IS GREAT. I have a complete draft of one story that fulfills my assignment and I'm really really hoping to write at least one more; we'll see how it goes. SO EXCITE.

And! Jupiter Ascending, which was EVERYTHING THE INTERNET TOLD ME IT WOULD BE. Take that as you will. :D

The weather here has been veering back and forth between abruptly balmy and degrees in the teens Fahrenheit—but it is above freezing as of this moment and is supposed to remain above freezing for the next two days! It really IS spring.

I was thinking through the list of things I've seen recently and might want to talk about and not coming up with much (Sleepy Hollow: still watching, though not quite as fiercely in love; Major Crimes: still watching, as fiercely in love as ever; The Flash ... is a thing that's happened while I've been looking at it, as is the vague charm of Forever) and then suddenly remembered THE LIBRARIANS. I HAVEN'T POSTED ANYTHING ABOUT THE LIBRARIANS. !!!

Not caught up on Sleepy Hollow; nothing to say about Major Crimes except oh, the Christmas episodes of Closerverse shows are SO RIDICULOUS AND DARLING. ♥ And the canon review I did for Yuletide has set off some kind of incredible Babylon 5 renaissance in my soul, just in time for babylon5_love's 2015 mini-rewatch! (The mini-rewatch episode list is here, for any interested parties.) I actually just finished marathoning Crusade (oh, god, the sfx and HI DANIEL DAE KIM), but luckily they're going chronologically, so I'll have a chance to work my way back around before watching Well of Forever again.

Happy 2015, to everybody celebrating a new year today! I don't know that I even can characterize my 2014 meaningfully, but it held multiple milestones for me personally, good and bad, and I hope I never forget to acknowledge and remember and recognize them—I hope I learned enough from them to make 2015 awesome.

My year in review in fannish terms mostly consists of KATARA KORRA KATARA KORRA KATARA KORRA YULETIDE. \o? Finishing LttE (AT LAST) was a tremendous feeling; the ending of Korra was everything I could reasonably have hoped for. And of course Yuletide reveals were last night!

I wrote four stories this year, in all. My assignment was not in any way what I was expecting to write:

one giant leap (3862 words) by DamkiannaFandom:The Dig (Video Game)Rating: General AudiencesWarnings: No Archive Warnings ApplyRelationships: Maggie Robbins/Boston LowCharacters: Maggie Robbins, Ludger Brink, Boston LowAdditional Tags: Post-CanonSummary: Two of the Cocytans come with them back to Earth. Post-game tag: after the adventure, they still have to get home. (Gen, with hints of Maggie/Boston.)

I didn't actually offer The Dig this year, but Three_Headed_Monkey asked for it; it was listed ahead of the fandom we actually matched on in my assignment email, and I saw it and HAD TO. There was zero Dig fic on the AO3 until I posted this (and as of this writing, there's two and Three_Headed_Monkey wrote the other), which makes it a Yuletide fandom if ever there was one. It was hilarious and strange and fascinating to watch an LP of The Dig after all this time (it came out in like 1995, that's TWENTY YEARS AGO)—the request was very open-ended but an idea came to me pretty quickly, and the actual writing went very well, so this was a real delight of an assignment overall. \o/ YAY YULETIDE.

And! damask_and_dark was the author of the transcendent and beautiful the moon a black hole in the blaze of night, which was my absolutely incredible main gift and everything I could not have known to hope for when I prompted for armored Snow White at the head of an army, breaking Ravenna out of her box. Gloriously in-character and yet so very kind to both Ravenna and Snow White, with the happy ending the movie couldn't have given Ravenna. ♥

As if that weren't enough to make my Yuletide all by itself, I also received the delightful post-B13:U Blood on the Dance Floor from gamerfic, who took my admittedly off-the-wall request for Lola/Tao (they don't even meet in canon!) and went MARVELOUS places with it! HOW AM I SO LUCKY. \o/

I have not in any way had a meaningful amount of time free to go through the archive, which means this weekend is going to be SO WORDS MUCH STORY VERY YULETIDE. But! I have had time to read (and then gleefully reread) both of my gifts:

the moon a black hole in the blaze of night (4142 words)Fandom:Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)Rating: MatureWarnings: No Archive Warnings ApplyRelationships: Ravenna/Snow White (Snow White and the Huntsman)Characters: Ravenna (Snow White and the Huntsman), Snow White (Snow White and the Huntsman)Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Misses Clause ChallengeSummary:There is no king, this time. When Ravenna tries to capture Snow White's kingdom, she is rescued by an armoured queen.

My main gift, and a GLORIOUS story that took my "Snow White is the one leading the army and breaking Ravenna out of her box" prompt and worked BEAUTIFUL MAGIC with it. It somehow manages to be simultaneously really in-character for Ravenna but also give her basically the happiest possible ending, and I love it.

The Lola/Tao treat I have ALWAYS WANTED but NEVER EVER EXPECTED to actually get, because asking for ladyslash where the women in question were never actually in the same movie can be something of a fool's errand. BUT SOMEHOW IT WORKED THIS YEAR. \o/ Lovely, a nice match to the tone of the movies, and with an ending full of potential.

And! YULETIDE. The deadline held no bears for me; I finished my assignment weeks ago and have been working on treats since. But TWO GIFTS (!!) were posted for me today and I am THRILLED. I only have timing coincidences to guide me when it comes to present-shaking, but whether I'm right about which fics are mine or not, the selection of stories in fandoms I requested is just SOLID GOLD this year and I am so happy. omg yay. TIME TO CHANNEL MY DELIGHT INTO MOAR TREATS. \o/

Maybe I'll just try to work my way up to posting twice a month, and see how that works out. /o\

femslashex happened! I wrote a Sinbad (Nala/Rina) treat for muccamukk, which is to say I've had an idea sitting half-written in my head since last femslashex, having watched Sinbad at all solely after reading muccamukk's letter that year, and then she asked for it again and this time I was able to write the story down fast enough to meet the deadline. \o/ One of these days I'm going to have to get around to a set of Sinbad posts - it's such an adorably terrible show! Things I enjoyed large parts of but really want to tweak are always the ones I get most fannish about. I'd do a recs post except I still haven't read everything I have open in tabs, but basically if you haven't checked the collection for anything in your fandoms, you totally should.

Not caught up yet on SHIELD; I'm also watching Forever and portions of Flash mostly for the hell of it, no real commentary to offer there.

I'm doing NaNoWriMo, but not precisely by the rules, because I'm counting words I write for Yuletide; so far this is working out well, and I may even wholly avoid bears this year. (My recipient and I could not have more divergent approaches to Yuletide if we were trying! This has proven exciting but wholly manageable, and as a bonus I should have plenty of time to edit my assignment/work on treats. \o/)

Tell yourself you can take a week off from posting because you're traveling, and suddenly it's a month and a half later and your delinquency is only worsening. OOPS. I'm going to have to pick out one of those post-a-day meme thingies just to get back in the habit.

And then also Book 3 of Korra happened! I can't even imagine how annoying this whole airing schedule/swap-to-online mess was for anybody who'd been following along solely by watching Nickelodeon, and I really hope they aren't kidding about the show having had better viewing online anyway. I haven't posted about this season since the leak, so I suppose I might as well run through the whole thing at once, and divide it by feeling like always. (Feel free to read the cut whose tenor appeals most to you and not touch the other two!)

Sleepy Hollow has also started! Yay I'm so happy. <3 I love everybody in this bar everything about this show, from the ridiculous "historical" shenanigans to the hugs, and everything in between. ( Cut for spoilers. )

The only thing I want for Halloween is more things for Katrina to do besides be menaced by the Nice Guyiest Nice Guy. She has PHENOMENAL COSMIC POWERS. GIVE HER THINGS TO DO ALREADY. (Somebody's written the AU where she's the one who woke up and is buddy cops with Abbie as her powers slowly recover, while Ichabod appears in her dreams giving her cryptic warnings—right? Right?)

And somewhere in there, the first book of ItO cracked 10k hits! I remember when I was posting happily about 500, I am SO THRILLED. (That is almost 3x the population of my hometown! I mean, I know hits != unique visitors. BUT STILL.)

I think that's everything I have feelings about; I haven't watched the new ep of SHIELD, or Guardians of the Galaxy. Back to working on treats for femslashex!

Chapter 13 Part 2 aka Chapter 14 is up also, so you can read straight through to the conclusion of Book Two (!!!).

Sometimes it felt like this book was NEVER going to end, and it's easily the longest and most complicated thing I've ever written (or it will be until I write Book Three, I guess). But it's finally complete, and let me tell you, I am THRILLED about that - and looking forward to Book Three SO MUCH. \o/

One day, I'm going to start posting more often again; but probably not this month, because I feel like all the spare time I have to write things needs to go STRAIGHT TO LttE, not ~frivolous things like Dreamwidth posts. To that one person who commented on the pacing last chapter: you were so right. This chapter is (unbelievably, ridiculously, ludicrously) 25k already, and I'm only somewhat more than halfway through the outline, so I'm guessing I'm going to have to cut it into two parts; but I want to post both parts at the same time, because it really was always supposed to be one chapter. (I know, I know, I'm turning into freaking Robert Jordan over here.) By the time I get to Book Four, each chapter is going to be its own goddamn novel, at this rate. /o\

But! Major Crimes has started back up again. I've only watched last week's, not this week's, but I'm just SO HAPPY to see everyone again. SHARON. AMY. RUSTY. TEEEEEEEEAM. So many hearts.

And look at that: it's next week already! Rarewomen stories were revealed on Sunday - idriya and I were at our parents' for most of the day, as our Mother's Day arrangements involved helping our mother out with a variety of gardening tasks. So I haven't really had the chance to dig in; but I did have enough time to read my gift!

Push Back (1146 words) by havocthecatFandom:Push (2009)Rating: General AudiencesWarnings: No Archive Warnings ApplyRelationships: Nick Gant/Kira HudsonCharacters: Kira Hudson, Emily Hu, Cassie Holmes, Nick GantAdditional Tags: POV First Person, Female Character of Color, Canonical Character Death, Women Being Awesome, Background Pairing, Background Het, Canon Het RelationshipSummary: Kira and Emily are supposed to meet up with Nick and Cassie, but when they don't show, Kira and Emily have to find out what happened to them.

I had guessed through present-shaking that I'd been lucky enough to get a Push story, but not that havocthecat was my author! Obviously I wish this had been at least 15k longer, but it's an absolutely wonderful post-movie story about Kira and Emily reconnecting and saving Nick and Cassie from Division, and I LOVE IT. KIRA. EMILY. KIRA. Rarewomen is just the best thing ever.

And of course I also wrote a story:

Lost and Found (9503 words) by DamkiannaFandom:JustifiedRating: Teen And Up AudiencesWarnings: No Archive Warnings ApplyRelationships: Rachel Brooks/Tim GuttersonCharacters: Rachel Brooks, Tim Gutterson, Raylan Givens, Art Mullen, Original CharactersAdditional Tags: Case Fic, Communication FailureSummary: Rachel is late. Rachel's side of a casefic, Rachel/Tim; no spoilers for Season 5. Canon-typical profanity, some violence (not graphic).

For the stupendous and gratifyingly effusive kalisgirl/kalisgirl, who asked for Rachel with a side of Rachel/Tim. I added Justified to my offers this year at the very last minute, seeing that it was a needy fandom and feeling guilty - because I do know the show, even though the idea of writing fic for it kind of terrified me. And then, of course, I matched on it! Which should by all rights have been a disaster, because the kinds of stories that show tells aren't anywhere near my usual wheelhouse; but despite all my anxieties, I had a wonderful time writing this (and rewatching episodes of Justified while I was at it).

I probably won't have enough free time to put together a recs post until at least this weekend, and probably everybody will already have devoured all the stories by then; but I have the fandom categories for Babylon 5 and Stargate and SHIELD and TNG open in tabs, and I am so excited.

Aside from that, I'm mostly just accumulating TV I have heard is good and then utterly failing to watch any of it, because: time. I did, however, manage to finish my rarewomen fic - early, even, which hardly ever happens, and is the absolute last thing I was expecting given the fandom involved. \o/ (Intimidating fandom, afraid to offer it but I did at the last minute, aaaaand MATCHED, because of course.) And someone posted a gift for me, which I have done my best to shake because that's how I roll and OMG SO EXCITED. :D :D :D :D :D I always dread signing up for exchanges because I never know what to ask for, but every time I get HOPELESSLY AWESOME GIFTS.

I wish I could read it already; but judging by these past couple months, it'll be next week before I know it, anyway.

For what it's worth, there are moments I've enjoyed very much, and I get what people who aren't me like about it! But it's just not doing it for me.

Surely someone out there has written some incredible ten-thousand-word meta about humanity, personhood, and why American media's perception and understanding of both mean that Dorian was always, always going to have a working dick. I just have to find it.

My assignment fic for movies_michelle, after very-much-needed edits, cracked 40k words! She asked for Gunnar/Sinbad and found family, and suggested the possibility of a reunion with Nala, and I grabbed all three of those things and SPRINTED INTO THE WILDS with them for forty thousand completely ridiculous words. movies_michelle was very gracious about her surprise novel, and even left me a comment when she was only partway through, just so I'd know she didn't hate it. ♥ She and I both only just watched Sinbad this year, and I'm really glad I offered it, because this story was great fun to write!

Twisted Princesses is rapidly becoming one of my favorite treating fandoms; I'm not confident enough in my ability to write horror on command to actually offer it, but when I get an idea that I think I can pull off, I love to write it. Maybe if I do it enough, I'll actually get good at darkfic someday!

As it turns out, the incredibly generous Niki wrote me BOTH my main gift, Home, and my fabulous Snow White and the Huntsman treat, Mirrored; and russian_blue wrote me One Spark, about Lola on the roof. I am so pleased and amazed that they chose to take the time to write me such wonderful stories! TELL ME WHAT I DID TO DESERVE THIS SO I CAN DO IT AGAIN.

Home (1465 words) by AnonymousChapters: 4/4Fandom:Banlieue 13 (Movies)Rating: Teen And Up AudiencesWarnings: No Archive Warnings ApplyRelationships: Leïto/Damien TomasoCharacters: Lola (Banlieue 13), Leïto (Banlieue 13), Damien TomasoAdditional Tags: Post-Movie(s), Addiction, Friendship, FamilySummary: Lola has never been a victim, she has always been a survivor.

My main gift, and I ADORE it - somehow it manages to span the space between the movies, B13:U, and then after B13:U in 1400 words, and it is LOLA and LEÏTO and DAMIEN and HELP I LOVE THEM ALL SO MUCH. Lola and Leïto struggle with Lola's addiction and get a little help from Damien, and then B13:U happens. And the fourth chapter is only three sentences long but it's ONE OF THE BEST THINGS I'VE EVER SEEN. ♥ Anon, whoever you are, this is everything I asked for and you should feel AMAZING.

One of the two marvelous treats that people chose to write for me even though they didn't have to because Yuletide is just beautiful that way. :D Short but totally perfect, a fantastic achy look at Lola on that roof with a gas can and a match. LOLA. HEARTS IN MY EYES.

Mirrored (753 words) by AnonymousChapters: 1/1Fandom:Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)Rating: General AudiencesWarnings: No Archive Warnings ApplyCharacters: Snow White (Snow White and the Huntsman), Ravenna (Snow White and the Huntsman)Additional Tags: IntrospectionSummary: Snow White used to imagine conversions she might have with the Queen.

I love the structure of this one, how the narrative is essentially mirrored and the ways in which Snow White's and Ravenna's thoughts mirror and don't mirror each other; I lovelovelove Snow White's, how a child's hope turns into resentment and then - because Snow White - into curiosity and even the desire to understand, and I love Ravenna's detachedness, strength and self-deception at the same time. UGH SO AWESOME.

Drive-by post to say: SO EXCITE. There were some actual bears this year, because my December got eaten by RL, but I made the deadline with time to spare and had the chance to make some edits! And now I have a gift that I'm SUPER LOOKING FORWARD TO (I can't help it, I love to shake presents) and a Madness treat and I'M JUST SO HAPPY. YAY YULETIDE.